Street Kids
by The Plotsman
Summary: With his mother dead and his father having been absent since his birth, Naruto has to find his own way while growing up on the streets of Republic City. Title subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know there's a story in this category similar in concept, but I want you all to know I started writing this before that story was posted. And I haven't read it anyway, so whatever. No beta yet, so the spot's open if someone wants it.**

"_Did you know that in the North Pole the skies are always lit up at night?"_

_A woman with long red hair lay in a bed. Her son sat beside her, listening to one of her fantastic stories about her time abroad._

"_Really, mommy?"_

"_Every night. They say the spirits come into the world and dance the night away far above the physical world."_

"_Wow! Can we go see it, mommy?"_

_The woman raised her hand to her son's cheek. The movement was slow and shaky, but she eventually found her target. _

"_I don't think we will, Naruto. Not right now. But when I get better, I promise we'll go. And you know your mommy, I never go back on a promise!" At the end of her declaration the woman fell into a coughing fit that seemed to last forever._

"_Mom!"_

Nine year-old Naruto awoke abruptly and with a gasp. He sat up and took in his surroundings. He had been spending the last few weeks in a junked Sato-mobile that someone had left in an alley some time before. When he had found it, it seemed to have been sent by Avatar Aang himself. It had a roof, the windows were intact, and, most importantly of all, the doors were unlocked.

Naruto sat up in the backseat of his ramshackle shelter and took stock of things. He looked around and found an orange beanie with a small red fox face stitched into the side laying on the floor of the vehicle. He picked it up and jammed onto his head, partially covering his messy mop of blonde hair. His hair still fell into his eyes, but he just brushed it aside and continued his morning ritual.

Naruto then found his ratty messenger bag sitting in the passenger's side of the front seat. He grabbed it and pulled from it a hunk of stale bread and a browning apple. He ate his meal in silence, thinking about the faraway places and adventures that his mother had told him about before she had died.

After finishing his meal, Naruto picked up a grey coat that had been draped over the front seat, put it on and did up the buttons quickly. He slung the messenger bag across his torso and, being adequately prepared, opened the door of the Satomobile and stepped out into the streets of Republic City.

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Naruto was running down the street, frantically trying to lose the people chasing him. He had pilfered a few rare books and any other trinkets he figured were worth a few yuans in an old antique store. The store owner and his son had been quick to give chase.

This was what life had become since the death of his mother: a daily struggle and a growing litany of illegal activities. His mother had always told him it was wrong to steal, but his mother had said a lot of things. And she was gone now.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and was greeted by the sight of the store owner's son gaining on him, the owner himself having long since given up the chase. He turned his gaze back to his front to see a large crowd gathered in front of a food stand of some sort. Knowing it was his only chance and that the alternative was a confrontation with a very hotheaded and brash teenager, Naruto plunged into the legs of the crowd. There were just some places big people couldn't follow, and whatever the stand was selling, Naruto would thank the Spirits later that it had drawn such a crowd.

He emerged from the crowed to an sparsely populated street in front of him and an alleyway on the right. Naruto chose the latter. He ran down the alleyway, hoping to put as much distance between him and the store owner's son before said son got through the crowd. In his haste, Naruto lost his footing and tumbled to the ground.

Naruto glanced at the entrance of the alleyway where he heard the sounds of dismay as the son likely pushed his way through the crowd at the food stand. It wouldn't be long until the son found his way to the alley. Naruto's eyes were drawn to a dumpster he had passed near the entrance and decided he would gamble. His speed against the speed of the shop owner's son.

Naruto clambered to his feet and set off at a dead sprint, trying to reach the dumpster. When he reached it he could hear some rustling coming from inside, but he decided that he would deal with that when he was in the clear. Naruto placed his hands on the lip of the dumpster and jumped in with a great heave.

As Naruto fell onto the garbage that made up the contents of the dumpster, he heard a yell come from the mouth of the alleyway.

"Where'd you go, kid?! I promise I'm not mad!"

The tone of the son's voice made Naruto beg to differ. He was ready to settle in for however long it would take for the teenager to move on when he noticed he was not alone in the dumpster. Opposite him sat two boys, clearly brothers, who had apparently been rummaging through the dumpster before he had made his entrance. The younger looking one opened his mouth to say something but Naruto put his finger to his lips, trying to convey his urgency with only his eyes.

Luckily the boy seemed to get the message.

The three of them sat in silence as the teenager walked a ways down the alley, smashed a bottle, and walked back to the entrance.

"Damn street urchin..."

Naruto listened to his retreating footsteps and waited until they were out of earshot before letting out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Who are-"

The older of the siblings begun to speak before he was interrupted by the younger.

"What was that all about?! Who are you?! What did that guy want?!"

Naruto sat in silence, exhausted from the whole ordeal. He watched as the older sibling reprimanded the younger and as the younger argued back. They bickered back and forth for a few moments while Naruto caught his breath and when they were done they both leveled him with their gazes and the same question, spoken in tandem.

"Who are you?"

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"Are we going to the triads?" asked Bolin, the younger of the two siblings Naruto had met in the dumpster.

"Nope. The triads don't care about this kind of stuff," Naruto responded looking back over his shoulder to where Bolin was walking side by side with his brother Mako.

Mako had been reluctant to follow Naruto to his destination and had been silent since the moment his brother had pointed out the fact that their dumpster diving expedition had turned up nothing in the way of food, and Naruto's offer of a share of his spoils for not ratting him out had been too good to pass up considering the duo's current circumstances.

After walking for a while, the group came up to a dark and dilapidated storefront. The stenciling on the window identified it as simply "Jian's".

"Wait here," said Naruto as he pushed open the front door and walked into the store.

A small tin bell rung as the door opened and again as it closed behind Naruto. He took a cursory glance around and found that the store had not changed since the week before. The shelves and displays were covered with any number of curious knick-knacks and oddities ranging from books to knives to fireworks to clothing. No one thing was featured and the shop was a hodge-podge of some useful - and some not-so-useful - odds and ends.

Naruto walked up to the counter where an old man sat, still as a statue, eyes tracking his every move. Naruto took a deep breath and walked up to the old man.

"I've got some stuff here, like you said you wanted." Naruto reached into his ratty bag and pulled out three thin books. They were old and leatherbound and Naruto had lifted them from the antique shop from which he had been chased by the owner's son.

The old man hummed and snatched the books from Naruto's hands. He produced a pair of glasses from somewhere on his person and placed them on the bridge of his nose as he inspected the books. He threw two of them aside almost immediately but gave pause when he looked at the third one. The old man's eyes widened before he wiped the emotion off of his face. Naruto knew he was trying to pretend it was less valuable than was likely true, but he didn't complain. Old man Jian had always been fair with him, and if not quite fair, he at least paid better than anyone in their right mind would pay a nine year-old child.

Old man Jian opened the cash register to his right and plucked out fifteen red yuans and held them out to Naruto. As Naruto reached for the money, Jian pulled his hand back.

"You did well this time, boy. Pick out a scarf and gloves. It'll be getting cold soon." With his piece said he placed the money in Naruto's hand and dropped his gaze to his purchase. Considering that his dismissal, Naruto walked over to a bin of clothing, all of which was likely used, and dug out a blue scarf that was in good condition and a pair of black knit gloves.

When Naruto arrived outside he was greeted by the curious faces of Mako and Bolin, although Mako did his best not to show it. Bolin was the first to speak.

"Well? What'd you get?"

Naruto looked back down to where he was stuffing his relatively new scarf and gloves into his bag and back up to Bolin. He didn't exactly trust them with the knowledge of how much money he had, even if Bolin looked as harmless as a winged lemur.

"Let's go get some food," said Naruto as he turned and walked away.

The siblings were quick to follow, although Mako was less satisfied than Bolin by Naruto's avoidance of the question.

"Hey! You promised us something. Well?"

Naruto turned around and continued walking backwards.

"I said I'd give you guys something, yeah. So a warm meal should make us square. Right?"

Mako grunted and scowled, but he accepted that answer as enough. At any rate, a meal, warm or not, was better than the whole lot of nothing he and Bolin had eaten all day.

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The trio had shared a small meal of komodo sausages on bread at a local food stand and prepared to part ways. Naruto started to walk away, towards his junked Satomobile while Mako turned to the opposite direction and took a few steps away. Neither noticed Bolin standing in place with a look of contemplation on his face until he made himself known.

"Stop!"

Naruto stopped and turned, his curiosity peaked. Mako turned as well, a look of annoyance in his eyes.

"We should... we should join up!" Bolin exclaimed, sincerity shining in his eyes. "Before you guys say no, just hear me out!"

One of Naruto's eyebrows rose in interest while Mako's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Bolin, let's go!"

"No, Mako! This is the best we've eaten since mom and dad died. We can't keep surviving out here on our own! And you know how to survive out here, don't you Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess. I'm not looking for tagalongs-"

"We won't be tagalongs! We can help you, steal stuff, carry it! You can't carry as much if you're alone, right?"

"Bolin, he doesn't want us around, let's just go."

Naruto lowered his head in thought. That was a good point. He couldn't get as good of a haul by himself, and a few extra hands and feet would be good to help split up any pursuers. Besides, with the cold weather coming in, he would have to find a way to get blankets and suitable clothing to help him last through the snowy season. And he remembered something his mom had told him once.

"_Don't be afraid to let people in, honey. Good people won't let you down. Not if you give them a chance."_

Naruto looked back up at Bolin who was being dragged away by his older brother. They looked like decent enough guys, and they hadn't let him down in the dumpster. He let out a sigh called out to the pair.

"Come on, then. I guess you guys aren't so bad and it'll be pretty nice to have someone watching my back."

Bolin's eyes lit up and Mako even looked less dower than he had all day. Naruto turned and continued his walk home, certain the siblings were following behind. They made idle chatter as they walked, trading stories and generally getting to know each other.

By the time they reached the alleyway that housed the Satomobile, Naruto knew that Mako and Bolin had been on the streets for only a month. Their parents had been killed by a firebender and they had been left alone on the streets. In turn, they had learned that Naruto had been on the streets for a year following his mother's death after a long battle with sickness.

They arrived in front of the Satomobile and Naruto said, "This is it. Home sweet home. You guys can take the backseat. I'll take the front."

They all slept easily that night, hopeful that life had become just a little bit easier.

**A/N: Naruto won't be a bender in this story, though he'll not be a pushover by any means. I'm going the more classic ninja route for him. You'll see if you stick with it. Or maybe not, I dunno.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I've got another story I'm committed to finishing. Not much to say about this. Chapters will get longer as soon as the plot swings into motion. Beta spot still open if anyone's interested. Have a nice Thanksgiving. **

"_Mom! I just saw a fire bender! He was breathing fire and people were throwing money! It was so cool!"_

_Naruto burst into the kitchen of the modest apartment that he shared with his mother. Kushina was puttering about the kitchen, doing her best to prepare an afternoon snack for him. She turned to him and smiled radiantly and Naruto's smile couldn't help but widen in competition with hers._

"_Do you think that maybe, if I work really really really hard I could become a fire bender too?"_

_Kushina's smile dimmed slightly before returning with full force._

"_Not a bender, but I know something way cooler. I used to practice it myself. With it I could take down any bender I ever met!"_

"_Woaaah! What is it?!"_

"_Come on and I'll show you."_

_Kushina took Naruto's hand and led him to the modest apartment's modest sitting room. She walked over to a shabby bookshelf and pulled one of the scattered few books that rested in it. It was a fairly thick affair, leather bound with yellow parchment paper that had long since gone out of popular use. She presented it to Naruto who took it from her and was thrown slightly off balance by the weight. He looked intently at the cover and sounded out the title._

"_C-ch-chi... Bl-blo-BLOCKING! Chi blocking, right?" He looked up at his mother and saw his triumph reflected as pride in her eyes._

"_That's right! My little genius. My dad gave me that book when I was just a little older than you, and his dad gave it to him before that. It's a family tradition. Keep it close and start reading it, and we'll start your training as soon as mommy feels better."_

Naruto awoke on the morning of his nineteenth birthday with nary a sound. He looked around the darkened attic that the old pro-bender Toza allowed him, Bolin, and Mako to sleep in. He surveyed the two lumps that were the brothers themselves, asleep on their bed rolls and after watching them for a minute surmised that they were still asleep.

Naruto quietly slipped out from under his covers and went about collecting his essentials. He pulled on a pair of black knee-breeches and a pair of comfortable black shoes. Then he pulled on a short-sleeved white shirt and a grey coat that ran to about mid-thigh, fastened itself on the right side of his torso, and had a hood attached. He picked up a dark blue scarf and wrapped it around his neck once before picking up a weathered old black messenger bag and slipping it over his shoulder. From inside the messenger bag, Naruto fished out his orange beanie and slipped it over his chin-length mop of messy blond hair before brushing said hair out of his eyes. Naruto reached into the messenger bag once more and produced a brown leather belt with a dozen small throwing knives that were slotted into a series of sheaths that ran the length of it. He fastened this belt around his waist and looked around on the floor for a blue sash to tie over it.

With his knives sufficiently concealed, Naruto began to make his way to the stairway that would lead him down to the pro-bending arena proper and the exit that he sought. That is until he heard a voice mumbling out from behind him.

"Naruto? Why are you up so early?"

Naruto turned to look at Bolin who had apparently been stirred by even Naruto's silent movements. It was peculiar because Bolin was an exceptionally heavy sleeper under all other circumstances, but he always seemed to know when Naruto was sneaking out.

"Gonna go train. You wanna come?"

Bolin seemed to consider the proposal and then nodded blearily. He stumbled out of bed and it was a wonder that Mako didn't wake as well. Naruto waited patiently as Bolin went about the task of getting dressed and when he was finally done the pair made their way out of the attic. As they were approaching the exit to the pro-bending arena, Bolin perked up suddenly.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Happy birthday!"

A cheesy grin spread across the earth bender's face and Naruto returned it in kind, spreading out his arms in an apparent gesture for a hug. Bolin readily accepted but soon found himself in headlock with Naruto's fist rubbing back and forth across his scalp.

"Noogie noogie noogie!"

"Come on, man! Cut it out!"

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"You weren't really going to train were you?"

Naruto and Bolin were stood across the street from a jewelry store. The store was located in the nice part of Republic City. People were walking past them, early birds champing at the bit to get the proverbial worm and too busy wrapped up in their lives to notice two street rats loitering in a part of the city that they most likely had no business being in.

"_You_ wanted to come."

"You offered!"

Bolin's hysterics had begun to draw a few odd looks and Naruto threw an arm around his shoulders and led him away down the street.

"C'mon, Bolin. This is how we started out. It's in our nature."

"_Your _nature maybe. You know I don't like doing this stuff. We haven't _had_ to steal since Toza set us up in the attic." Bolin shook Naruto's arm off of his shoulder and sped up his pace down the street. Naruto sped up as well and was soon beside him again.

"Sure we don't _have_ to, but come on! What else are we gonna do? You gonna sit out on the street and have Pabu do tricks for change for the rest of your life?"

"We get by! Maybe it's not glamorous and maybe it doesn't pay well, but between Mako working at the power plant and what me and Pabu bring in, it's enough to get by!"

Naruto pulled off his beanie and mussed up his hair before jamming it back on his head. He, Bolin, and Mako had been together for almost ten years and somewhere along the line Bolin had grown a conscience. It was a source of endless frustration for Naruto, especially considering that Bolin had been the one to originally suggest that the three of them become partners in literal crime.

"Is that all you want? Just to get by?"

"Of course it's not! But do we really have to _steal_ to get what we want? It's not just about surviving anymore. You're doing it because... I don't know, it's fun for you?"

"I do it because it's what I know. I'm only good at two things: stealing and fighting. They say that if you're good at something, you should do that for a living. Well, I'm good at stealing things from rich people and I'll never be good at much else. It is what it is. I steal, I fight, and I sleep well at night." Naruto threw his arm around Bolin's shoulder once more and led him down a different street, towards the less affluent part of town. "Come on, I'll buy you some breakfast then we can actually go train."

Bolin looked at Naruto in surprise and said, "So you're not gonna rob that store?"

Naruto turned to Bolin with foxy grin and replied, "Of course I'm still gonna rob it, but if you want no part of it, I'm not gonna force you. And on second thought, _you _buy _me_ breakfast."

"Why do I have to do that?"

"'Cause it's my birthday is why."

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Bolin and Naruto stood twenty feet apart in the middle of a field. It wasn't hard to find places to practice bending on the outskirts of Republic City, and the field they were in was one such place. Bolin's stance was low and rigid, conducive for moving earth, as opposed to Naruto, who seemed loose and ready to move at a moment's notice and with one hand hovering over the sash at his waist, read to pull a throwing knife if need be.

Bolin moved first, raising a boulder into the air in front of him and kicking it in Naruto's direction. Bolin's vision was obscured by his own projectile until he saw Naruto spin around to the right of it and let loose with one of his throwing knives.

Bolin raised a rock wall on reaction, once more obscuring his vision. This proved to be a costly mistake. Naruto closed the distance quickly, reaching the rock wall and scaling it with great alacrity. Bolin looked up at Naruto's form, obscured by the Sun at his back, and saw him pull something from his bag and throw it at him.

Bolin raised his arms in defense and felt something soft impact against them before that was followed by a series of sharper ones. Bolin felt his arms go numb and then fall to his sides.

"I win!"

"Argh! You know I hate this!" Bolin's arms swung at his sides as he stomped about throwing a tantrum. Of course he could still bend using only his feet, but by this point the fight became more pathetic than a real training exercise.

"I don't _make_ you fight me," said Naruto with an innocent shrug, and then went about collecting his knife and whatever he had thrown at Bolin, which turned out to be a small beanbag. He looked at the small black beanbag with pride and said, "People always fall for this little guy."

"Yeah, when you throw knives at them they tend to expect the worst."

Naruto tapped the side of his head and replied, "Mind games, Bolin. If you can't throw balls of fire or boulders the size of a small house, your wits are all you can rely on."

"And your stupid paralysis punches." Bolin jerked his torso from side to side, making his numb arms flail around in a comical fashion.

"Those too."

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Naruto stood in front of the jewelry store as the Sun started to sink below the horizon. He was looking through the store's front window as a teenaged girl and a man who was presumably her father finished a purchase. As they made their way to the door, Naruto began to make his way across the street.

His eyes met the girl's as she left and noted that they were a beautiful shade of green. He gave her his most charming smile as he passed. When he reached the door, Naruto pulled his scarf up over his nose and tightened it, creating a makeshift mask and concealing much of his face. He gathered up his hair and stuffed it into his beanie and pulled the hood of his coat up. Having concealed his identity as well as he could, Naruto opened the door, dimly registering the ring of the tin bell, and walked in.

The shopkeep had his back turned to the door, apparently counting the money in the till before locking up shop. He didn't turn as he spoke. "I'm sorry but we're closing up now, you can come back tomorrow."

"That won't be necessary." The shopkeep began to turn before he felt a series of sharp impacts across his back. He lost feeling to his extremities and fell to the ground. From his position, he heard someone jump over the counter and approach his fallen form.

The shopkeep was turned over and leaned up against counter and he came face to face with his attacker.

"Sorry about this. Don't worry I'm not gonna hurt you, you'll be right as rain in half an hour." Having said his piece, Naruto pinched the man's neck in a specific spot and he lost consciousness. "Thank the Spirits for chi blocking."

With the shopkeep dealt with, Naruto focused on the till. He took half the yuans and stuffed them into his bag. He prepared to take the rest before something Bolin had told him when they parted ways earlier that day jumped into his mind.

"_You like stealing, but you're taking these people's livelihood."_

It hadn't affected Naruto much but looking down at the unconscious shopkeep he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Something he had felt only sparingly since his childhood.

Naruto exhaled explosively through his nose in exasperation before saying, "Dammit, Bolin."

He left the remainder of the money and began to make his way out of the jewelry store. The shopkeep would come around before long and the metal benders would find nothing to link him to the scene. A quick and easy snatch and grab executed flawlessly.


End file.
